Jesús Sánchez came through with a clutch single in the 10th inning, helping the Miami Marlins secure a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday and completing a sweep of the three-game series.
The Marlins won two of their games in extra innings, including a 7-6 victory in the series opener on Tuesday.
Sánchez’s hit, a line drive to left field with two outs, brought home Luis Arraez from second base. It was a turnaround for Sánchez, who had been removed from a game earlier in the week due to a perceived lack of effort.
Reflecting on his performance, Sánchez emphasized the ups and downs of baseball and life in general. He credited his manager, Skip Schumaker, for believing in him and giving him opportunities to succeed.
After Justin Lawrence struck out Bryan De La Cruz, Jalen Beeks retired Jazz Chisholm Jr. and walked Josh Bell before facing Sánchez. Despite going hitless in his previous at-bats against left-handed pitchers, Sánchez delivered the game-winning hit against Beeks.
“For him to end the game like that — I know he had a rough time the other night — credit to him,” Schumaker said. “He’s moved forward. I think he’s learned from it already. I told him I still care about him. I’m happy for him.”
Arraez got two hits and Bell hit a home run, while Miami pitcher Edward Cabrera and five relievers combined for 16 strikeouts. Burch Smith (1-0) pitched the 10th inning.
The Rockies lost their fifth game in a row and are the first team since 1900 to have trailed at some point in each of their first 31 games. They now have the worst record in the NL at 7-24, and manager Bud Black had a meeting with the team after the game. Black didn’t go into detail about what was discussed.
“Morale is okay, you can see it in there,” Black said. “Guys are giving it their all. We’re just not getting the timely hits or making the big pitches. They’re frustrated after the tough losses, but man, this group has a lot of heart.”
Cabrera was taken out of the game with no outs in the fifth inning after walking his fourth batter, and loading the bases. Cabrera, who said he’s been experiencing cold symptoms lately, gave up four runs and three hits. “I just tried to throw strikes and get outs,” Cabrera said. “I need to work more on my control.”
Nick Fortes’ RBI single in the fourth inning gave the Marlins a 4-3 lead before the Rockies tied it in the fifth, with Jake Cave scoring from third on a double play groundout by Ezequiel Tovar.
